Ruthie was sitting on the porch as she came up shaking the rain from her umbrella and her coat.
“Girl, you go’n catch a cold in that mess out there.”
“I know ma, I know,” she replied as she closed her umbrella. “Did I get any calls while I was out?”
“No, not a one today,” she said fanning herself with a paper church fan.
“What--you s’pecting that bald-headed, handsome detective to call? I forgot his name.”
“Maaa!” Charlotte smiled. Just thinking about Jared made her smile, and she knew her mother’s teasing was her way of bringing up a subject they had discussed many times.
“Honey look, I might be old but I sure ain’t blind, at least not yet anyways, and besides, I hope you two do get together,” she snapped, rolling her eyes at Charlotte. “Besides, your daddy and I are in our late 60’s and would like to see all of our grandchildren someday.”
“Momma, I’m not ready for any children; I still got things in my life I want to do and kids will just hold me back,” she said. “And besides, you already got grandchildren; remember Sandy is married to a preacher and living in New Jersey?”
They looked at each other and started laughing. It was the same old conversation.
“I left your plate in the microwave, girl, now get out of my face.”
“Ooh, I am so hungry, Momma, thank you.”
“You welcome, child,” Ruthie said shaking her head. “Somebody got to feed your skinny self.”
Charlotte kissed her mom on the cheek and told her she loved her.
“Uh huh, I love you too baby girl, don’t wake your daddy up; this my quiet time.” Ruthie said, turning her head so that her daughter would not see the worry in her eyes. She continued to fan herself, harder now, to help her fight back tears.
Charlotte went into the kitchen and opened the microwave. She pulled out a plate of fried chicken, collard greens with green peppers cut up in them, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, and cornbread. As much as she wanted to devour all of it, she knew that going to sleep on that heavy a meal at this time of night would not be a good idea. She put two chicken wings onto a napkin grabbed a coke from the fridge and joined her mother back out on the porch. She checked her cell phone for any missed calls. There were none. She leaned back in the swing set next to her mother to eat.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as the raindrops bounced off the tin roof of the chicken coop.
“This is some good sleeping weather here, Momma,” said Charlotte with chicken in her mouth.
“Hush up now girl, GOD is doing his work.”
“This is some good chicken too.”
Charlotte wanted to ask her mom why she wasn’t in bed, but decided against it. It was better to just sit in the quiet and listen to the rain.
“Charlotte?”
“Yes Momma.”
“I have something to tell you and I don’t want you to tell nobody else, you hear?”
Charlotte stopped eating and looked up, all ears. Her mother looked at her.
“What is it, Momma?”
“I really don’t want you to tell nobody, you promise?”
“Momma, you scaring me, what is it? Are you ok? Is Dad ok? What?”
“Promise me, ok?”
“Ok, Momma, I promise,” sensing something so terrible she began tearing up.
“You remember that check-up appointment you took me to last month?”
Tears rolled down Charlotte’s face in anticipation of what her mother was about to say.
“Yes momma, I do.”
“The doctor ran some test on a lump he found under my breast.”
Charlotte covered her mouth, “Oh God, Momma!”
“Shhh! Don’t wake your daddy.”
“But Momma--”
“But nothing, now listen.”
She grabbed Charlotte’s hand.
“I have some more tests to do before it can be confirmed but I wanted you to be aware of this just in case…” she paused.
“Just in case what, Momma?”
Ruthie sighed.
“Just in case, your daddy needs you to help take care of him.”
She held onto her mother’s hand tightly and laid her head on her mother’s lap like she had so many times as a little girl.
She looked out into the sky as the heavy rain poured, unaware that her phone was vibrating, alerting her of an incoming call.
* * *
I looked at the caller ID. The number was anonymous. I tapped the call back button. Damn, Nothing. I knew it would be a long shot but it was the only shot I had. I quickly called dispatch and gave them the number and told them to contact the wireless service provider and see if we could triangulate where the call came from. I hoped that we could trace the number to the serial number of the phone, and then to the store of purchase and find out who bought it and if they have surveillance cameras. It was thin also but worth a shot.
“Well, well, how’s it going, Jared?”
I turned to see the last person in the world I would ever want at my funeral. I couldn’t stand him and I’m sure the feeling was mutual. Detective Harry Burncutt got out of his unmarked car and walked over to me, buttoning his coat.
“I’m headed over to Judge Middlebrooks,” I said, “Later!”
I started walking to my car.
“Now that’s a coincidence, I was just told to go do that myself.”
I turned around.
“Burncutt, what the hell you want?”
He put his hands up in front of him.
“Hey! Whoa, compadre,” He gestured surrender with his hands.
“I just wanted to touch base with you before I head over to the judge’s house.”
He lowered his hands and put them in his pockets.
“And besides, I just got a call from Capt. Davis and he wanted me to relay a message to you.”
My shit-o-meter was going haywire. I gritted my teeth.
“What’s the message?”
“I’m in charge of this case and I, that is, we will inform him about his wife’s demise.”
He crossed his arms. “I would assume it’s because you are a hothead with a conflict of interest and the department doesn’t need any more… uhm….bad publicity.”
“We?” I asked.
“Oh I forgot to introduce you to my new partner Detective Cheryl Glass. She is sitting in the car.”
She got out the driver side and stood beside the car. I guessed her to be about 5’6, short brown hair and fair skinned. Her boyish appearance gave me the impression she wanted to prove herself better than any man. She extended her hand in greeting and spoke with a high level of confidence in her voice.
“Pleased to meet you detective, I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
I snapped my eyes at Burncutt. Son of a bitch!
“I’m sure you have.”
His smile was like a hyena about to eat a lame lion.
“Well now that we are all acquainted, and you now know that I’m running the show, I need to know everything you know.”
I wanted to kick his teeth to the back of his head and beat that smile right off his face, but I needed to be in on this case because whoever it was that killed Mrs. Middlebrooks needed me in the game and not this clown.
“Ok Burncutt,” it’s your case but now I need to let you know something.”
I paused to let his confidence level get real high before I cut him down.
“Your killer just called me.”
“Wh-what do you mean the killer just called you?”
“Just what I said, He just called me and told me that he’s not through and that this murder is one of many more to come.”
“I don’t believe you,” he said, looking knowingly at Detective Glass.
“Dispatch has everything I know and I really don’t give a shit if you believe me or not!”